Week 8 Injury Report: Bills vs. Packers

The Buffalo Bills are 5-1 after a tantalizing victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6. Since then, the Bills enjoyed a bye week and are now far healthier. Also, to note, CB Tre’Davious White was activated from the PUP list. This past week was the second week of his 21-day window before he needs to be activated to the 53-man roster. If he is not activated, he will need to go on season-ending IR. An (unlikely) alternative option, would be to activate Tre and then place him on short-term IR, which would keep him out another four weeks. Fortunately, he looks primed to return to the team next week.

G Ike Boettger is still on the PUP list. He will need to start his 21-day practice window after Week 9, or he will be moved to season ending IR. In addition, WR Jamison Crowder and CB Xavier Rhodes will become eligible to return from the IR over the next couple weeks. It will be up to the team if they want to activate them. Meanwhile, WR Marquez Stevenson is already eligible to return from the IR, but likely needs another month to recover from foot surgery. S Micah Hyde and OT Tommy Doyle likely won’t return in 2022. 

The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, are dealing with several key injuries. Their most notable player on IR is WR Randall Cobb. Starting WR Allen Lazard is ‘Out’. The Packers listed several starters as ‘Questionable’, including LT David Bakhtiari (knee), LB Rashan Gary (concussion), OG Elgton Jenkins (knee), and WR Christian Watson (hamstring). All were able to practice at least in a limited fashion this week and are expected to play. WR Sammy Watkins returned to practice for the Packers this week.

OUT

OT Spencer Brown

Brown left the Chiefs game with an ‘ankle’ injury. It appeared to be the common lateral ankle sprain, which usually requires a 1-2 week recovery. However, the mechanism of the injury was severe and required Brown to don a walking boot after the game. He is likely on the mend, but he was unable to practice at all this week, even coming off a bye week. 

QUESTIONABLE 

RB Taiwan Jones

Jones had been playing in 71% of special team snaps this year but was dealing with a ‘knee’ injury leading up to the Chiefs game. He only played in 34.8% of special team snaps during that game. He has a length injury history, and he is listed with a ‘knee’ again this week. Even after a bye week, he was a DNP on Wednesday. Fortunately, he was able to ramp up to limited on Thursday and a full participant on Friday. He was back on IG live with Dion Dawkins and should play this Sunday.

Prediction: ACTIVE

ALSO LISTED

WR Jake Kumerow

Touchdown Jesus left the Miami game early with an ‘ankle’ sprain. Unfortunately, it was the dreaded high-ankle type. He was unable to practice in any capacity the following four weeks (including bye week). This week, he was limited early in the week, but finished Friday a full participant. He will be available this week, which is five weeks post-injury. This is in line with the norms for recovery.

CB Cam Lewis

Lewis has been listed with ‘forearm’, ‘knee’, and ‘quad’ injuries all season, the latter two even before playing in his first game. He is listed with a ‘forearm’ again this week but was a full participant the entire week. He will be available for Sunday, but the team may choose to have him inactive based on numbers.

C Mitch Morse

Morse was injured on the first series of the Titans game. He appeared to get his ‘elbow’ hyperextended as he was engaged with a defender and Knox’s helmet hit the back of his elbow. He was able to return to the game but was unable to play the following week at Miami. Morse likely has an elbow sprain in some nature, and he was able to play the past three games. Morse was, surprisingly, limited on Wednesday and Thursday with the ‘elbow’ again but finished the week as a full participant and will play.

S Jordan Poyer

Poyer was only listed as ‘vet rest’ this week, but his ‘rib’ injury is noteworthy. After Poyer missed Week 3 with a ‘foot injury’, he returned for the Baltimore game. Unfortunately, he suffered a ‘rib’ injury on the game defining INT on the defense’s last play of the day. Poyer missed the Steelers game the following week. He was able to return for the Chiefs game, but the injury was to his lung. It has been reported to be a pneumothorax, which is a collapsed lung. A minor pneumothorax usually resolves in two weeks, but you’re not supposed to fly due to the air pressure in the cabin. This restriction usually lasts for two weeks, which is why Poyer had to drive to and from Kansas City to play.

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